A blog by Vitessesteve mostly about Triumph car stuff. Featuring articles about Standard Triumph car dealers. Includes new free technical literature such as Parts Catalogues, Workshop Manuals and Owners Handbooks.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Clark and Lambert of Eastbourne - Triumph car dealers 10

Clark and Lambert Limited of Eastbourne number 10 in an occasional series about Triumph car dealers in the UK.

Clark & Lambert door sill plate

Clark & Lambert Ltd Triumph 2000 1970 advert

A short history of Clark & Lambert

The workshops and stores were on the upper level at Clark & Lambert, and entered and exited via steep, spiral concrete rampways from the ground level. It's fair to say they were 'interesting' to drive up and down, and the walls bore the scars of various vehicles that had bounced off them, including our own Caffyns Minor van!---said boxofbits from the TR Register.

A fleet of 19 Triumph Heralds was supplied by Willetts through Clark & Lambert for British Uralite Co Ltd reported in Standard Triumph Review January 1961.

Show and Service Weeks

Factory staff visited the Trinity Place branch on several occasions to assist the branch with special promotional Show and Service Weeks over the years including 2nd to 6th March 1963 and again between 24th and 28th May 1965. A further Show and Service took place during the week 8th to 12th January 1967.

Former Cinema converted to showroom

Mrs. M, Lambert, Fyfe Robertson, the Mayor of Eastbourne, and Mr. M. Lambert, Director and a founder of the firm, at the opening ceremony

Fyfe Robertson, the then well-known BBC television personality, opened the new showrooms of Clark and Lambert Ltd, Standard-Triumph Distributors in Eastbourne. The Mayor of Eastbourne and other local dignitaries were also present. The new showroom, illustrated, is a conversion of the former Classic Cinema, immediately adjoining the main premises of the Company. By a fortunate historical coincidence both buildings were designed by the same architect so that the two blend harmoniously.

Clark & Lambert Ltd Eastbourne new 1965 showroom exterior

Before negotiations started for the Cinema premises in May, 1965, the company were able to display only half their stock of cars, and the new premises have added a welcome 4,000 sq. ft. Clark and Lambert's main building was opened at the end of 1937, and the new showrooms have an interesting history having been erected in 1926 as an indoor riding school and being used for that purpose until the 1930's. It opened as a cinema in 1938 and continued until November 1965. Structural alterations started in February 1965. A feature is the enlarged stage as a show area for a car and the retention of the sloping floor as an aid to display.

In the 1974 the listing the firm is still listed at Trinity Place Garage as a distributor but the name has changed to Clarke & Lambert (Prop. Caffyns Ltd) to reflect the business being bought by Caffyns in 1970.

Plea for information

Have you got information or recollections about Clark & Lambert Ltd? I am looking for photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TriumphCarDealers